Jobs to be Done (JTBD) is a tool for finding meaningful customer problems to tackle. It asks: “What are customers fundamentally trying to get done?” rather than focusing only on what they buy today or what their stated preferences are. 

What Makes Jobs to be Done Different from other Research Methods?

  1. Jobs-to-be-Done focuses on the underlying need: 1.Unlike traditional frameworks that primarily focus on demographics and psychographics, JTBD delves into the underlying motivations that shape consumer behavior.
  2. Jobs-to-be-Done provides a more accurate understanding of behavior: While traditional market research often relies on self-reported data, which can be incomplete or blend out the richness of detail by looking at averages, JTBD focuses on specific purchase and usage events. Companies can grasp the nuance in how their products fit into their customers' lives.
  3. Jobs-to-be-Done uncovers unmet needs: JTBD research excels in identifying unmet, latent customer needs that consumers may struggle to express when asked directly. ​By understanding the Jobs that consumers want to accomplish, companies can pinpoint areas to excel in, differently.

Use our Jobs Atlas to Uncover your Customers' Jobs to be Done

​Our framework for gathering Jobs to be Done insights focuses on understanding eight essential elements of customer decision-making, empowering you to innovate in ways that surprise and delight customers.

Let's explore the eight steps that comprise it below:

Download our Quick Reference Guide for Jobs to be Done

Jobs-to-be-Done Market Research Eight-Step Process

Identify the goals customers aim to achieve when using your solution

1. Discover the Jobs

​To effectively use the Jobs-to-be-Done methodology, go beyond surface-level insights by identifying both functional and emotional jobs consumers want to accomplish. Focus on the most crucial “North Star” jobs and consistently ask “why?” to reveal deeper motivations.

2. Uncover the Jobs Drivers

Recognize that job drivers like attitudes, background, and circumstances shape the importance of these jobs for various customer segments. Understanding these factors allows you to develop targeted products that meet specific needs, rather than offering generic solutions."

Assess how consumers are engaging with existing solutions and identify any pain points they experience

3. Determine the Current Approaches

Identify all key stakeholders, including purchasers, end users, and decision-makers, to understand current consumer behaviors and activities aimed at achieving their goals. Focus on specific scenarios and contexts to pinpoint which jobs are being fulfilled, rather than relying on general patterns.

4. Distinguish the Pain Points

​Pain points reveal consumer frustrations and inefficiencies, offering prime opportunities for innovation. Assess consumer resistance to change and their ability to adapt to new, disruptive solutions that improve their existing methods.

Determine how consumers define a product’s success and what obstacles prevent it from fulfilling their criteria

5. Identify the Success Criteria

Define success criteria by understanding what customers want more of, less of, and where they seek balance. These criteria indicate whether key jobs have been fulfilled. Focus on specific contexts that are most important to your audience and be willing to sacrifice less important features to excel in crucial areas.

6. Investigate the Obstacles

Identify obstacles to adoption, which hinder initial purchases, and obstacles to use, which affect continued engagement. Simplify learning and trial processes to reduce adoption barriers. Address usage hurdles to ensure first-time buyers become loyal customers, reducing the need for constant new customer acquisition.

Assess the competitive landscape and your unique opportunities to create value for the consumer

7. Access the Value

To create value for consumers, frame your market in terms of jobs rather than products. Use value-based pricing that reflects the unique and emotional needs your solution addresses. It's crucial to evaluate not only the customer value but also how your model sustainably captures value for the organization. Determine how much consumers are willing to pay by considering the specific jobs your product fulfills.

8. Beat the Competition

Beyond traditional competitors, your product competes with all offerings that satisfy the same consumer jobs. Understand the full range of direct and indirect competitors to effectively position your solution. Use a Jobs-based perspective to uncover growth opportunities, including non-consumption areas where competitors aren’t active. Always assess your competitive advantages and flexibility against both traditional and nontraditional rivals.
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Jobs to be Done Examples: Find new growth for a vacuum business

1. Product-led approach
Ask customers what they think of existing vacuums and what they would improve.

Result: lighter vacuum that can be used with one hand
2. Techonology-led approach
Redesign the product using the latest self-driving, self-charging, AI-based technology.

Result: a very expensive vacuum
3. Jobs-led approach
Speak to customers about the change they desire and the outcomes they want to achieve.

Result: the insight that customers want to demonstrate to their guests that their house is clean—and don’t mind leaving a well-designed cleaning apparatus on display
Various research methods offer different angles to inform your product launch. However, embracing a Jobs-led approach allows us to unearth a unique insight: customers want to proudly demonstrate the cleanliness of their homes to their guests, and are willing to consider a sophisticated cleaning device to do the trick
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Jobs to be Done in Action

Tillamook

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How a leading U.S. dairy brand captured new growth opportunities by uncovering unmet customer needs​

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UnitedHealthcare

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Improving the quality of life in retirement with Jobs to be Done customer research

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Let's Uncover Your Customers' Jobs to be Done

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